See First 2012 Referee Controversy
on Boxing Channel

The well-fought but controversial WBO Light Middleweight Title match between Hanna Gabriels and Dakota Stone, televised live on Boxing Channel, on Saturday, Jan 7, is now available again for viewing. To see the fight and its controversial finish, go to Boxing Channel.

Gabriels successfully defended her crown with an 8th round TKO win, but the stoppage by referee Geno Rodriguez created uproar.

Hall of Famer Boxing Announcer Al Bernstein, who called the fight on the Boxing Channel, called it "the most bizarre stoppage I've seen in years". The pro-Gabriels crowd at the Palacio de los Deportes in Costa Rica, even booed the decision by Rodriguez to stop the fight. 2011 was a year riddled with controversial refereeing; this incident starts off 2012 in the same vein.

The 28 year old Gabriels, a charismatic champion, was well ahead in the fight , but Stone, coming in off a win over Christy Martin, had won round 7 on two of the judges’ scorecards. The action was intense, and after a flurry landed by Gabriels, referee Rodriguez stepped in to stop it. Neither woman had been down in the fight.